


The Snake and the Lion

by Minachi



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Gryffindor, How do I tag?, Parseltongue, Slytherin, lockhart bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2018-09-28 13:18:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10102520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minachi/pseuds/Minachi
Summary: (IN THE PROCESS OF REVISION) Two American cousins, Cassandra and Chris finally got permission to attend Hogwarts. They start as second years as they've already had some instruction from their parents. Lucky for them they're in the same year as the famous Harry Potter. But something's up this year at Hogwarts, and both of them get deeply entangled in the mystery. One more than the other.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I started several years ago. I found it, edited it, and decided to repost it. Plot will basically follow "Harry Potter and the Chamber of the Secrets" . Quotations are dialogue and italics are thoughts. Point of view will switch between the two OCs, Cassandra and Chris. Thanks for reading, let me know what you think.

Cassandra's POV

“Did you get a copy of the  _ Year of the Yeti _ ?” I asked my cousin Chris as she was walking towards Madame Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions.

“Yeah, I don’t see why we need this many books for one class though, especially since they’re all written by the same guy,” Chris replied, her chestnut curls bouncing as she quickened her pace, eager to leave Flourish and Blotts.

“It is kinda suspicious, besides Gilderoy Lockhart seems like too much of a ‘pretty boy’ to have done all the things he’s said he’s done,” I wondered as I watched Lockhart flash a blinding smile and wave from the back photo of  _ Wanderings with Werewolves _ .

“Yeah, he doesn't look clever enough. Anyways let's hurry to Madame Malkins, I want to get our robes fitted so we can check out Eeylops Owl Emporium afterwards.” Chris hurriedly replied, not really paying attention as she broke into a much faster pace and I had to jog to keep up with her.

“Wait for me!” I called. “I want to go there too, but I want to get all of our supplies for school first.” At this point Chris slowed down to a walk again as the robe shop was only a few yards away.

“Whatever, I just want to get a pet, like your cat Riddle.” Chris retorted. She was probably unhappy that I had mentioned school as it reminded her how we only had a few days left of freedom here before we’d head off to Hogwarts.

“You should get an owl or some type of bird so that we can send letters to our family back in America,” I said as I checked over my supplies list one last time to make sure we had everything. Satisfied, I put my list away and walked into Madame Malkins with Chris. Both of us stood still as Madame Malkin poked and pricked us while fitting our robes. I had to concentrate on holding still so that I didn't flinch every time she poked me, I don’t like people touching me. It was awkward sometimes because Chris was defiantly a hugger. I put up with it most of the time, but sometimes I just needed my own space.

Anyways, I voiced my concern that everyone would look the same wearing the same robes but Madame Malkin assured us that the different houses as well as the wide age range would set everybody apart. When Madame Malkin finished, the sun was already starting to set. We paid for the robes and headed back to our room in the Leaky Cauldron.

“Sorry we couldn’t get your pet today,” I tentatively said to Chris, knowing that she was disappointed.

“It’s fine, it just means we can spend all of tomorrow browsing through pets.” Chris replied brightly. She was a much more optimistic person than me, sometimes I wondered if I’d be happier if I were more like her.

I sighed in relief that she wasn't upset though as I wasn’t good at comforting people, “Yeah just remember you can only bring one pet to Hogwarts and we only have two more days until we have to go to King’s Cross and we need to save some money for a taxi.” I said stroking Riddle’s soft spotted fur earning her purr of appreciation.

“I know, only two more days,” Chris said gazing at the ceiling. “What do you think it’ll be like, I mean learning in a classroom full of people as opposed to learning from our parents. And what house do you think you’ll be in? Do you think we’ll be in the same house?”

“I think learning in a class will be like muggle school, just with magic and a lot more dangerous,” I replied. Chris looked at me skeptically with an eyebrow raised.

“I mean, I think there still will be the same types of people. The teacher’s pets, the quiet ones, the loud ones, the kiss-ups, the troublemakers, and everybody else.” I said, brushing my dark auburn hair out of my eyes. I kept my straight hair long and tended to let my bangs fall so they covered my face. I kind of use my hair to hide sometimes, I get really uncomfortable when people stare at me.

“As for what house we’ll be in I’m not sure about myself but I definitely think you’ll be in Gryffindor.” I continued, my anxiety rising as I got concerned that we might not end up in the same house.  

“Really? What’s Gryffindor like that makes you think that I belong there?” Chris asked, as she rolled over, a spark of excitement dancing in her blue, tinged with gray, eyes.

“Well, all those in Gryffindor are supposedly brave.” I said with a gleam in my eyes. “So if we translate brave as stupidly reckless, you’re a perfect fit.”

“Hey, I take offense to that!” Chris replied good naturally, throwing a pillow at me. I caught it and threw it back, which quickly turned into an all out war. I started giggling which soon turned into full blown laughter which Chris joined. Chris was one of the few people I was comfortable enough with to let loose with. Eventually we stopped to catch our breath.

“Do remember though that we’re starting a year late, our parents wanted us to go to Hogwarts as opposed to the American school and it took a year to convince Professor Dumbledore to accept students from so far away. Friend groups will already have been made among all the second years.” I voiced my fears, agitation suddenly rising in my stomach like bile.

“We’ll be fine,” Chris reassured me, “Plus we can play the ‘cool American’ card. Exchange students always get attention, we’ll find people to be our friends.”

“We should go to bed so that we can get up tomorrow and go get your pet before the shop gets busy,” I said quietly, not quite content with that answer. I knew it’d be easy for Chris, she was friendly and charismatic. I’ve never had to make new friends. All of my friends lived in my neighborhood and I had known them since kindergarten.

Chris sighed, “Always the voice of reason, you’re no fun Cassandra.”

I looked up offended, but it disappeared when I saw Chris grinning.

“Yes, I exist to suck all of the fun out of your life Chris.” I replied sarcastically. Chris just rolled her eyes. After that we both got ready for bed and said our good-nights.

The next morning we both got up early, had a quick breakfast, and headed to the emporium. After an entire hour of searching Chris finally found what she wanted.

“A bald eagle? I admit it’s pretty cool and American but it’s really expensive,” I said uncertainty. “How are you going to pay for it?” Chris looked at me with pleading eyes., communicating with me telepathically. 

“No way, I still want to buy some more books from Flourish and Blotts. This will cost all of our spending money combined,” I said emphasizing the combined as I shook my head, causing my hair to swish around, I let it fall and cover half of my face in an attempt to decrease the power of Chris’s puppy eyes.

“Pleeeeease! I’ll never ask for anything again as long as I live,” Chris pleaded. “Besides you already got an expensive copy of  _ The Tales of Beedle the Bard _ .”

“You know how I love books,” I protested. I then sighed, “Fine, I’ll give you my spending money but don’t expect a Christmas present from me OR a birthday present, this is a lot of Galleons being spent.”

Chris practically leaped for joy. She hugged and thanked me then hurried to the counter to buy her bald eagle. It turned out to be a boy eagle and she named it Merik. Happily she left the emporium with me trailing behind her gloomily.

“Tomorrow we’re spending the whole day at Flourish and Blotts,” I said sternly.

“What!? Why? It’s not like you can buy anything anyway,” Chris asked.

“I can browse, plus I’m a fast reader.” I said proudly, it was one of my few talents. “I can probably read a couple of books there in a day. Besides, you owe me.”

“Fine, I’m sure I can find something interesting to read anyway. I mean they’re books about magic.” Chris conceded.

We then spent the rest of the day wandering around Diagon Alley, although Chris refused to go to Flourish and Blotts because “We’ll be spending all day tomorrow there!” We went into the Apothecary which smelled nasty but had enough interesting potion ingredients to make up for it. I loved potions and it was my best subject so Chris had to practically drag me away from the expensive silver unicorn horns.

“But think of all the potions I could make,” I whined as she dragged me away.

“No way, besides we don’t have any spending money left, just some Galleons for food and some British muggle money for transportation.” Chris said. “And it’s twenty-one Galleons a pop. It’s not worth it.”

“I know,” I sighed, not used to Chris being the voice of reason. “Let’s go back and catch a quick bite before going to bed. And you should finish packing all your school supplies. We only have one day left.”

“Fine,” Chris replied. We both returned to the Leaky Cauldron together and retired for the night. The next day we spent the entire time browsing Flourish and Blotts. While browsing through potion books I found a book on Dark Magic. I curiously opened it and was shocked to discover that European wizards consider Parseltongue to be a sign of a dark wizard. I was a Parselmouth myself, a trait I had inherited through my father’s Indian heritage. In India Parseltongue was considered a gift so it was surprising that it was so feared here. I decided to keep my ability to myself. As it grew dark we finally left the bookstore and went back to the Leaky Cauldron and started getting ready for bed.

“Hey Chris?” I asked hesitantly while we were getting ready to go to bed.

“Hmm? What?” Chris replied taking her toothbrush out of her mouth.

“Don’t mention to anybody that I’m a Parselmouth, it’s considered Dark Magic here,” I said.

“Really? That’s dumb. You can’t help being a Parselmouth, you were born like that.” Chris replied, returning to brushing her teeth angrily. She hated it when people were judged by the circumstances of their birth or anything at all but their actions. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thanks,” I replied, relieved. Afterwards we both got into bed and turned off the lights. Eventually I heard Chris’s breath even out as she fell asleep. Unfortunately, I lay awake worrying about tomorrow. I must have fell asleep at some point though, because the next thing I knew Chris shaking me.

“Ugh, what time is it?” I asked groggily, rubbing sleep out of my walnut colored eyes. I was usually the one to get up first, so I was surprised to see Chis dressed and ready to go.

“It’s 10 o’clock and it takes 45 minutes to get to King’s Cross from here! Hurry up and get dressed, I put Riddle in her cat carrier for you but the taxi is waiting outside. You've got five minutes.” Chris replied looking at the clock with concern.

“Oh my god,” I exclaimed as adrenaline rushed through me. I got dressed, brushed my teeth, and brushed my hair in record time; without magic, to boot. “Why didn’t you wake me sooner?”

“I tried! God knows that I didn't want to put Riddle in her cat carrier,” Chris replied rubbing her arms that had fresh scratches all over them. “But you sleep like one of the dead.”

“Sorry,” I said guiltily, knowing I had stayed up too late staring at the ceiling contemplating the future and getting lost in my apprehension. “Well, let’s go then.” We both rushed downstairs, I skipped breakfast to get into a taxi with a very disgruntled taxi driver. As soon as we got in he sped off scaring the animals. It took ten minutes to calm down Riddle and Merik. The taxi driver just looked at us in the rear-view mirror and hissed  _ Americans  _ under his breath. We finally got to King’s Cross and stood in between platform 9 and 10 with only ten minutes left.

“What are we going to do!?” I practically wailed, tugging on my bangs, a slight nervous tic of mine. “We only have ten minutes until the train leaves and nobody told us how to get to platform 9 3/4!”

“Are you guys new?” a unknown voice broke me out of my despair. A girl about our age with bushy brown hair looked at us warmly.

“Yes, we’re from America and have never been to Hogwarts before. We’re staring as second years but we don't’ know how to get onto the platform. Can you help us?” I pleaded.

“Sure, I had the same problem when I came here last year,” the girl replied. “Just walk straight through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. I’ll show you.” The girl then strode into the barrier, at the last second she turned and said, “My name’s Hermione by the way!” and walked backwards into the pillar, disappearing.

Chris and I shared a look. Then Chris backed up and said “Well here goes nothing.” She then ran into the barrier and I ran after her, closing my eyes shut as I passed through.

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Chris’s POV

I stumbled to a stop after rushing through the barrier. For a moment I stood and marveled at the Hogwarts Express. The scarlet steam engine puffing, starting on its journey...

A shove from behind me brought me back to reality.

“Hurry! Get on the train,” Cassandra shouted as she brushed past me and climbed onto the train.

“Hey! Don’t leave me behind,” I replied as I jumped aboard with her. “It was your fault that we almost missed it in the first place.”

Cassandra looked down guiltily and I immediately regretted my words. I spoke without thinking a lot. I opened my mouth to apologize but Cassandra just turned away and started walking down the train compartment. A little miffed, I followed her until we reached the last compartment where the girl who had helped us was sitting alone looking worried. 

“Hey do you mind if we sit here?” Cassandra asked with a relieved smile. “Everywhere else is full.”

“Sure, I don’t mind at all,” the girl said, what was her name again? Was it Harriet or something? 

“Sorry for asking but what was your name again?” Cassandra asked, voicing my silent question. “I’m really bad with names.”

“I’m Hermione Granger,” she replied giving us a friendly smile before returning to a concerned look. “I’m in Gryffindor house”

“What’s Gryffindor like?” I asked, thinking back to what Cassandra said a few days ago.

“It’s great, the head of Gryffindor is Professor McGonagall, the transfiguration teacher.” Hermione said. “She’s strict but she cares about our well-being.”  

“That’s nice,” Cassandra said. “Some my muggle teachers were horrible. They hated kids and yet were teachers for some unknown reason.”

“You went to a muggle school?” Hermione asked. “Are you two muggle borns?”

“No, I’m actually a pureblood but in America some wizards live among muggles and conceal their magic.” Cassandra said.

“And I’m a halfblood,” I supplied. “My name is Christine by the way, Chris for short, and this is my cousin Cassandra.”

“You’re cousins? Hermione asked, surprised. “You two don’t look much alike.”

It was true, while our heights are pretty similar our looks are very different. I have light skin, hair and eyes while hers are dark. While I have pale skin she has olive colored skin from her Indian father. For Halloween when we were kids, I’d be Snow White while she’d be Princess Jasmine. I have curly light brown hair that falls just below my shoulder while she has straight dark auburn hair that falls to her mid-back. I have cerulean colored eyes with a sparkle while her dark walnut eyes are always unreadable. Our personalities are different as well. I’m loud and she’s quiet. She’s very studious while I prefer to mess around or play sports. I have lots of friends while she only has a few close friends. The only thing we have in common is our stubbornness, which has got us both into trouble more than a few times.

“Yeah, we get that a lot,” Cassandra replied while I was lost in my thoughts. “by the way, you looked worried earlier. Is something wrong?”

“Oh, my friends didn’t get on the train,” Hermione said in a concerned voice. “I don’t know how they’re going to get to Hogwarts.”

“Really?” I asked. “If you don’t show up the first day do you get expelled or something?”

Hermione's eyes filled with worry and Cassandra elbowed me in the ribs for upsetting her. I really need to watch my mouth. Cassandra’s eyes wandered to the window and widened. 

“What the heck is that?” she said pointing out the window. I looked and squinted at the large object hurtling through the clouds. It wasn’t shaped like a bird or a plane.  _ It’s Superman! _ I privately laughed at my own joke but then gasped in shock when I saw that the flying object was actually a car.

“Is that what I think it is?” I asked not quite sure I could believe my own eyes. 

“It’s the Weasley's flying car!” Hermione exclaimed. “They're going to get themselves expelled! Why are they always getting into trouble.”

“I presume those are your friends?” Cassandra asked, pressing her nose to the window to get a closer look at the car.

“Yeah, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter” Hermione said, looking out the window. She smiled, “They’re my best friends.”

“The Harry Potter?” I asked. “The one who defeated the Dark Lord as a baby?”

“You mean Voldemort,” Cassandra said bluntly, eliciting a gasp from Hermione.

“You said his name,” Hermione whispered.

“Yes as Dumbledore once said, the fear of a name increases the fear of the thing itself.” Cassandra said.

“How do you know that?” I asked skeptically. “You’ve never met Dumbledore in your life.”

“My dad greatly respects Dumbledore and told me all about him,” Cassandra replied.

“Dumbledore really is a great wizard,” Hermione said. “To think that’s he’s known even in America.”

_ What’s that supposed to mean _ I thought to myself, slightly offended. 

“Dumbledore is known all over the world,” Cassandra said. “He’s known to pretty much every witch and wizard.” 

“I only knew that he was headmaster at Hogwarts” I said. “I didn’t know he was so famous.”

A moment of awkward silence passed when a rattling was heard and a smiling woman asked, “Anything from the trolley dearies?”

Cassandra rummaged around in her pocket and pulled out few coins, quickly counting them. She then held them out and asked, “What can I get for this?”

The trolley lady smiled and said, “For that I can get you three Chocolate Frogs, two boxes of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, and a Pumpkin Pasty.”

“I’d like that.” Cassandra replied and she gave the trolley lady all her money getting only a few bronze knuts back. 

“Anybody else want anything?” the trolley lady asked.

“No thank you,” Hermione politely declined.

“I’m with her,” I said indicating Cassandra with a nod.

The trolley lady smiled and left, the cart rattling as she made her way back to the front.

“Where did you get that money Cassandra?” I asked. “I thought we were all out.”

“There was a bit left over from our food money,” Cassandra replied. “Bedsides this is ‘technically’ food isn’t it?”

I laughed. “Sure Cassandra, sure.”

She frowned, “Guess who isn’t getting any now.”

“Hey! I was just joking,” I exclaimed. 

Cassandra held out a Chocolate Frog for me which I delightedly reached for. However just as I was about to grab it, she whisked it away. This went on for a bit until I snatched it away and Cassandra sat back, giggling.

“I get your Chocolate Frog card though, don’t forget that I collect them” Cassandra said already grappling with her Chocolate frog which was hopping around in her lap. 

“Whatever, it's not like you haven’t told me a million times” I said, resigned. I opened my Chocolate Frog and tossed Cassandra the card before biting the frog in half with a satisfying crunch.  

“I’m going to get changed into my school robes now, you should too Chris,” Cassandra said as she pulled her trunk down and pulled out her new robes.

“Okay,” I replied. “We’re probably almost there anyway.” All of us then changed into our school robes. When we were finished there was a knock on the compartment door and two gangly fourteen-year-old redheads walked in. They looked like twins as I couldn’t tell them apart. They were kinda cute though.

“Hey Hermione,” One of the boys said. “Have you seen Ron? We never saw him on platform 9 3/4.”

“Oh you didn’t see?” Hermione said. “He and Harry took your flying car.”

“What!” The twins exclaimed in unison. “And they didn’t take us!” Then the twins noticed us.

“Who are these two?” One of them asked. Cassandra looked pretty flustered though so I introduced us.

“I’m Chris,” I began. “And this is my cousin Cassandra.” Cassandra smiled silently, I could tell she embarrassed by her awkwardness.

“I’m Fred,” one of the boys said.

“And I’m George,” the other boy said.

“Are you two firsties?” Fred asked. “And is that an American accent I detect?”

“We’re actually starting as second-years,” I replied. “And yes we’re both from America. Our parents home schooled us in magic for the last two years. My parents and her dad went to Hogwarts so they really wanted us to go for our magical education.”

“Really? What about underage magic? Wouldn’t the trace we give you away to the authorities. And how was learning magic at home?” Hermione asked. I heard the compartment door close and saw that Fred and George had left. 

“The trace only detects magic, it can't tell who’s casting iti so underage magic in American is like jaywalking. It’s technically ‘illegal’ but everyone does it. And my homeschooling was pretty good,” Cassandra answered her, having found her voice again. “My parents really kept up with a schedule and lesson plan for teaching me and my siblings but Chris’s parents just taught her a bunch of random, not always so useful things.”

‘Hey!” I exclaim, offended and secretly hating the fact that she was right.

“I know  _ Lumos  _ at least,” I proudly said, but Cassandra rolled her eyes which stung. She was pretty good all kinds of magic especially potions, she never seemed to get that it didn't come easily to me. I was good a flying on a broom and playing quidditch, but not much else in the magic world. Magical creatures did seem to like me though, except snakes, that was Cassandra’s area.

“Yeah, but you still make me do all the charms for cleaning, hygiene, levitating stuff.” Cassandra said in what I hoped was an unintentional arrogant tone. “You should know how to use a teeth cleaning charm at least, it was one of the first things my mom taught me.”

“You’re being kind of mean and I’m only letting you off now because I think I see Hogwarts coming up,” I said looking out the window. Sure enough, a giant castle loomed in the distance. 

“We’re almost at Hogwarts!” I exclaimed excitedly, forgetting momentarily what I was getting upset about. I pressed my hands to the windows and watched as the train sped closer to Hogwarts.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Cassandra’s POV

_ The castle is so beautiful, and it's huge. I wonder what the schedules are like, and ooh, how long is passing time? _

“Hey Cassandra!” Chris practically yelled in my ear, yanking me out of my thoughts. “Get your head out of the clouds we need to get on a carriage.”

“I’ve got it!” I retorted, not happy as being nearly turned deaf. “You don’t have to yell in my ear.”

“Well then get moving!” Chris said impatiently. I sighed, I knew how full of energy was Chris, but it was kinda annoying me right now. I decided to keep my mouth shut and just keep moving. We followed Hermione to a long line of old-fashioned-looking stagecoaches. They didn’t appear to be pulled by anything so I assumed they were enchanted. However, when we got into a carriage and it started moving, I concluded it was pulled by some kind of animal as I heard snorting and definitely felt the carriage bump and sway slightly, the mark of being pulled by something. Eventually, the carriages arrived at the castle and came to a halt. We all got out of the carriage and headed toward the Great Hall.

“We should probably go with the first-years, so that we can get sorted.” I told Chris.

“Yeah, I think you’re right. Let’s go.” Chris said quickening her pace to catch up with the huddled group of eleven-year olds, who were leaving behind a trail of lake water. When we arrived we saw that one boy was completely sopping wet and with every step, water seeped out of his shoes. We skirted around the big puddles and kept close to the group. We eventually stopped in a small chamber and all the first years clumped together in crowd while Chris and I stood off to the side together. The woman who lead the first-years turned around and surveyed the crowd sternly. Her eyes eventually reached us.

“You two,” she said. “Are you Cassandra Chopra and Christine Shanley, the new students from America?”

“Yes we are,” I said. “Were we right to come here? We need to be sorted into houses right?”

“Yes, you’ll be sorted with the first-years,” she replied. “Now, I am Professor McGonagall. I am the head of Gryffindor house and I teach Transfiguration here at Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.”

　　"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

　　"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes drifted to the drenched boy as she said that. “I shall return when we are ready for you, please wait quietly.” And with that she left the chamber.  

A few minutes later, just enough time for everyone to work themselves up worrying about how they were going to be sorted, Professor McGonagall returned.

“Form a line, and follow me,” she said sharply. “The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin.”

We all walked into the Great Hall and gasped.  _ I read about the Great Hall in  _ Hogwarts, A History  _ but I never imagined it would be this beautiful.  _ I thought. Truly it was a vision, thousands of gleaming candles floated in the air over four long tables covered in glistening golden goblets and plates. The ceiling, enchanted to look like the outside, twinkled as all the stars shone, making it hard to believe that there was a ceiling at all.

A soft thud broke me from my thoughts as I looked ahead and saw that Professor McGonagall had placed a stool in front of the first year that had an old frayed hat upon it. Then to my surprise, the brim of the hat opened and it burst into song. I was so surprised I didn’t actually hear any of the words it sang and was jolted back into reality when Professor McGonagall started calling of names.  

She listed them off alphabetically by last name, which made me a little nauseous as I realized my turn would be soon.

“Chopra, Cassandra!” she called. I made my way up to the stool, my stomach twisting with nervousness but I kept my hair like a curtain around my face and had my eyes down. I sat down and put on the hat which fell over my eyes.

“Hmm,” a small voice whispered. “Interesting. A great mind, you’d do well in Ravenclaw. However, you have great ambition. To be one of the greatest witches of this time eh? By whatever means necessary? And you're a Parselmouth? Better be SLYTHERIN!”

I took of the hat and walked to the Slytherin table, who were cheering loudly. I sat down by a pale boy with white-blond hair, who was kinda cute.  

“Hello,” the boy said. “My name’s Draco. So you’re a first year right?”

“No, I’m actually starting as a second year,” I said. “I’m twelve years old.”

“Really?” Draco asked. “So you’ve never done magic before.”

“In America we start our wizard training at whenever our parents feel it is time,” I replied

“Really? That’s very interesting,” Draco said, flashing a smile.

_ I guess,  _ I thought.  _ But only to someone who didn’t grow up with it.  _ I looked down the table, surveying my fellow Slytherins. There was one girl with a pug face who was glaring at me. I had no clue as to why, a couple of girls my age flashed me a smile and I returned it before turning my attention back to the Sorting.

“Shanley, Christine!” was called and I looked up to see Chris crossing the Great Hall with a grimace, she hated her full name. After a few seconds on the stool the hat cried out “GRYFFINDOR!”

I cheered for her, which got me a lot of looks from the Slytherin House.

I leaned towards Draco and asked, “What’s their problem, that’s my cousin.”

“Gryffindor and Slytherin don’t really get along.” He whispered back. “They’re made up of blood-traitors and mudbloods.”

I drew back with immediately, any attraction to him vanishing. “Excuse me, that is a horrible and disrespectful name for muggleborns. Besides my best friends are muggles.”

He withdrew in disgust. “Are you a mud- muggle born too.” I knew he was about to say mudblood but I sent him a death glare, warning him it would have severe consequences.

“I’m actually a pureblood.” I said haughtily. “But that doesn’t mean I look down upon wizards who aren't or look down upon muggles.”

He looked conflicted for a second, but he still was a racist and snakes can’t change their scales.

“So you’re a blood-traitor too,” He sneered.

I stared at him for a few seconds in shock, before getting up and moving. I sat between two older boys who raised their eyebrows at me but didn't say anything.

I looked back at Draco who had turned pink and was staring at his plate. I grabbed my wand, whispered a familiar incantation, and put it back before any teacher could see.

“What did ya do?” the tall boy to my right asked in a heavy accent.

“Nothing you can prove,” I said quietly, as I tried to make myself look as inconspicuous as possible.

That set both of them off roaring with laughter.

“Little bugger deserves it,” the stocky one on my left said. “He thinks he owns the place because of his father.”

“Weasley, Ginny!” was sent to Gryffindor where she was received with roaring applause. She sat down by her older brothers, and I sighed thinking about how Chris and I were in different houses. Hermione was in Gryffindor too and she seemed like someone I could really get along with. Plus I’m sure Draco would spread rumors about me being a ‘blood-traitor’.

Eventually all the first-years were sorted and seated and Albus Dumbledore stood up.

“Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! I’m sure everyone here is hungry, so dig in!”

A feast magically appeared on the golden plates. I suddenly remembered that I hadn't eaten anything all day except for the sweets on the train. I filled my plate and heartily tucked in. After dinner, dessert magically appeared and I was able to eat a few macaroons before I was stuffed. After the feast, the school sang the school song which I lip synced too because I’m a horrible singer and very shy about it. I was following the rest of the Slytherins to the dormitory, when a man with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin approached me.

“Miss Chopra, I am Professor Snape, the head of Slytherin house and the potions master.” he said, he then withdrew a key shaped like a snake and handed it to me. “You will be living in the second year dorms with four other girls from Slytherin.”

“Thank you, sir” I said, I was a little unnerved, he kinda creeped me out. But he taught potions, my favorite subject, so he couldn’t be all bad. I would have to get used to him either way as he was the head of my house.

I walked quickly, catching up with some straggling Slytherins who were heading to the dungeon. I followed them until they reached a blank wall and said “pure-blood” which caused a hidden stone door to open. The common room was, disappointing to put it frankly. It was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and a ceiling from which round greenish lanterns hung on chains. A fire crackled beneath an elaborately carved mantelpiece and there were several high-backed chairs sitting around. I sighed,  _ I guess I’ll be spending all my time in the library. It’s so depressing and creepy here. _

I walked over to two ascending staircases, unsure of which one to take.

“Excuse me,” I asked a fourth year boy, startling him. “Which staircase leads to the girls dormitories?”

“Er, the left one,” he said.

“Thanks,” I said with a smile, which he seemed unsure of how to respond to. Was everyone in Slytherin rude and disrespectful?

I walked up the left staircase until I found the second landing. I opened the door to find Riddle curled up on my bed sleeping and my trunk leaning against a desk with gas lamp. There were four other identical beds with girls who were either sleeping or getting ready for bed. The ones awake gave me a nod of acknowledgement, but no one greeted me. I was exhausted so  unpacked, got ready for bed, and drifted off to sleep.

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Chris’s POV

I opened my eyes blearily as sunlight streamed into the Gryffindor’s girl dormitory room. I sat up to see that Hermione had already gone down to breakfast but Parvati Patil and

Lavender Brown were still bustling around getting ready for the day.

“Mornin’,” I yawned wearily. Lavender and Parvati looked startled to be addressed and just gave me a slight awkward nod. I rolled out of bed slowly and started pulling my robes out of my trunk. I got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. I looked for bushy-brown hair and found Hermione sitting next to two boys. One was redheaded, probably Ron Weasley, and stuffing his mouth. The other was a skinny boy with messy black hair and glasses. As I drew closer, the skinny boy made eye contact with me and my eyes found the lightning-shaped-scar on his forehead.

“Hey Hermione,” I said. “Mind if I sit here?” 

“Sure,” she replied brightly. “Chris, these are my friends Ron and Harry.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said with a smile, and the famous Harry Potter smiled back, giving me butterflies. He was cute in those glasses and with that wild hair. His green eyes weresoemthign else to, the pretitest shade of emerald I’ve ever seen. But I find a lot of guys attractive, although with the way he was shoving food into his mouth Ron was losing attractiveness points fast.

“Nice to meet you to,” Harry replied while Ron said something with mouth full that was incomprehensible, earning him a look of disgust from Hermione and me. A great many flapping of wings overhead alerted me to the arrival of the mail. I didn’t expect anything as I haven't had time to send a letter home yet.

A big, lumpy package bounced off Neville's head and, a second later, something large and gray fell into Hermione's jug, spraying us all with milk and feathers.

"Enrol!" said Ron, pulling the bedraggled owl out by the feet. Errol slumped, unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air and a damp red envelope in his beak.

"Oh, no -" Ron gasped.

"It's all right, he's still alive," said Hermione, prodding Errol gently with the tip of her finger.

"It's not that - it's that."

Ron was pointing at the red envelope. It looked like a regular envelope to me, but Ron and Neville were both looking at it as though they expected it to explode.

"What's the matter?" asked Harry.

"She's - she's sent me a Howler," replied Ron faintly.

"You'd better open it, Ron," warned Neville in a timid whisper. "It'll be worse if you don't. My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and" - he gulped - "it was horrible."

I looked from their petrified faces to the red envelope. I was totally lost on what exactly this ‘Howler’ did that made those two so terrified.

"What's a Howler?" Harry asked, voicing my thoughts.

But Ron's whole attention was fixed on the letter, which had begun to smoke at the corners.

"Open it," Neville urged. "It'll all be over in a few minutes -"

Ron stretched out a shaking hand, eased the envelope from Errol's beak, and slit it open. Neville stuffed his fingers in his ears. A split second later, I knew why. I thought for a moment it had exploded; a roar of sound fiIled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling.

"STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE -"

The voice of presumably Ron’s mom yelled, a hundred times louder than I thought possible, made the plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the stone walls. People throughout the hall were swiveling around to see who had received the Howler, and Ron sank so low in his chair that only his crimson forehead could be seen.

"- LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED -"

I  personally thought that this was an overreaction, nobody got hurt so what was the big deal. Then again, I got in trouble loads of times for sneaking out of my house and practicing magic where muggles could theoretically have seen me. But my family lives in the middle of nowhere so I never got the fuss. Plus I was only caught by my parents a handful of times out of the dozens of times I actually snuck out. 

"-ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED - YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME."

A ringing silence fell. The red envelope, which had dropped from Ron's hand, burst into flames and curled into ashes. Harry and Ron sat stunned, as though a tidal wave had just passed over them. A few people laughed and, gradually, a babble of talk broke out again.

Hermione closed  _ Voyages with Vampires _ and looked down at the top of Ron's head.

"Well, I don't know what you expected, Ron, but you -"

"Don't tell me I deserved it," snapped Ron.

“I don’t think you deserved that, it seems like an overreaction to me,” I said grabbing a piece of toast and buttering it.

“Thank you, Chris was it,” he replied.

“Yeah,” I said. “You’re welcome.”

As I was eating, Professor McGonagall walked around and handed out schedules. I looked to see that I had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first. I stayed at the breakfast table a little longer than Hermione and the others. After they left Cassandra came over and sat by me.

“Ugh, Slytherin sucks,” Cassandra said irritably, yankign on her bangs. “They’re a bunch of racist pigs.”

“So I’m assuming you didn’t make any new friends,” I said between mouthfuls of oatmeal.

“Yeah, I’m sure Draco has already told everyone I don’t buy into their pureblood agenda. Plus I’m no good at approaching people”

“Who’s Draco?”

“The blond guy with the pointy face, he’d be cute if he wasn’t such a jerk.” Cassandra replied. “I’m sure you’ll see him in classes, he’s in our year.”

“Speaking of cute guys, guess who I met,” I exclaimed excitedly.

“Harry Potter,’ Cassandra stated dryly.

“How’d you know?” I questioned in disbelief. “Our tables too far away for you to recognize him.”

“I didn’t see him, but logically since Hermione said she was friends with him she would have introduced the two of you,” Cassandra replied, stretching an arm above her head. “It was 70/30 between him and Ron Weasley, but I know you like guys with glasses.” 

“You know me to well,” I shot back with a rueful grin.

Cassandra smiled and I enjoyed the pleasantness of our relationship for a second, we ruffled each others feather sometimes sure, but our bond was unbreakable and most of the time it was like this, easy.

“I should go to class” I said as I saw the majority of the hall was already empty.

“Ok, see you at lunch and in potions,” Cassandra said.

“Bye,” I said before getting up and walking to the entrance of the Great Hall. As I was walking I bumped into Ginny, knocking her books out of her hands.

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “Here, let me help you.” I picked up a small black book that had fallen on the floor a foot away.

“No it’s okay,” Ginny said shyly and she quickly picked up all her books and dashed off.

“Wait!” I called after her, but to no avail. “I’ll just give it to her later.” I placed the book in my bag and jogged to class, barely making it in time.


	5. Chapter 5

Cassandra’s POV

The first few classes passed by in a blink. Unfortunately, I was always stuck with Slytherin. I managed to get one of my roommates to be my partner but she didn’t speak to me unless it was necessary for the activity we were doing. All that I got out of her was that her name was Jane.

__ The bell rang, signaling the end of the period. I packed up my books and headed to the Great Hall. I had a quick lunch and then headed back to my dorm room. I unloaded all my textbooks, notes, and homework assignments from my morning classes.

I took a moment to sit down and Riddle finally got up and greeted me. She meowed loudly and headbutted my calves. I got up and scratched her ears while she purred contently. Then I  grabbed what I needed for the rest of my classes and my copy of  _ The Tales of Beedle the Bard _ . I went to the library so I could sit down and read it. I was raised on Indian and American wizarding stories,  _ The Tales of Beedle the Bard _ was British. I hadn’t read it before, so I was looking forward to it.

I sat peacefully in the library for a while. Nobody approached me which was kind of disappointing despite my dislike of attention. I did want to make some new friends here at Hogwarts, but I had already ostracized most of my house. Plus, it was becoming clear to me that Slytherin wasn’t very popular among the other houses. I was sure that their reputation was well-deserved, but I was unhappy with how that reputation reflected on me. 

Honestly, my best bet would be some Hufflepuffs, they seemed nice. However, I wanted to make friends in Gryffindor. Hermione and Chris are in there. Unluckily for me, Gryffindor and Slytherin were the biggest rivals in the school.

“How were your classes?” A voice broke me out of my thoughts. Cobalt eyes stared intensely into mine. Unwarranted, in my opinion, concern shone in Chris's eyes. 

“Fine, I guess.” I said. “They were pretty easy actually.” 

Chris rolled her eyes, “Of course they were. Magic and school has always been easy for you. What I wanted to know was whether or not you talked to anybody.”

“I talk to people,” I objected, miffed that she had brought up my weak point. I wasn’t a very social person, the opposite of Chris. While she has plenty of friends and acquaintances, I only had a few close friends.  I’m perfectly fine with only having a handful of friends but zero bothered even me.

“Working together in class because the teacher tells you to doesn’t count.” Chris said bluntly. “You should talk to Hermione, you two would get along like peas in a pod.”

“I’d like that but..” I hesitated, my stomach squirming in nervousness at the thought of approaching someone by myself.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be with you.” Chris said, flashing me a reassuring smile. Yet her eyes were definitely asking for something.

“Sit down.” I instructed, recognizing the problem, as I took a closer look at her appearance.

“Thank goodness” Chris sighed in relief. “I haven’t gotten the spell down to de-frizzify my hair.”

“It’s not that hard,” I said as I grabbed her hair. I started running my wand over it as I silently cast the spell. It was the only nonverbal spell I could do. “And I’m pretty sure ‘de-frizzify’ isn’t an actual word.” 

“Are you kidding me?” Chris scoffed. “We don’t start nonverbal spells in classes until sixth year! And it’s a word because I say so!”

“Well then you're lucky I can do it for you,” I said as I finished. I checked my watch and noticed we only had several minutes left to get to class. “We have to go. Now.”

I gathered all my books quickly while Chris just pushed her books off the table into her bag. I practically sprinted to my class. It turns out that I was early and I decided to take a seat in the front. I soon realized I had made a big mistake. I didn’t like history classes in general but I thought History of Magic would be interesting. I had never been so wrong in my life. 

I tuned out everything after I wrote down what were expected to learn during the semester. I would study on my own. I reached in my bag for  _ The Tales of Beedle the Bard  _ but instead my hand found a small black book I had never seen before. I had no idea how it got there. When I examined it I discovered it belonged to someone named T.M. Riddle and it was almost 50 years old. 

I was too bored to think about it too deeply and I started doodling in it. I wasn’t an artist by any means. I just scribbled and drew basic hearts. I froze when I saw all the ink disappear into the pages. I shook my pen, quills were too hard to use, and scribbled on the page again.  

“My name is Cassandra Chopra.” I wrote slowly, unsure of what I was expecting.

_ Hello, Cassandra Chopra. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you come by my diary. _

__ “I found it in my bag,” I wrote back quickly. “What exactly is this? How did you do it?”

_ I preserved my memories in a lasting way using a complicated piece of magic. I wanted to leave behind a record of certain events that occurred during my years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  _

__ “That’s where I am right now,” I wrote back excitedly. “I’m from America and have been learning magic for two years at home. I’m starting at Hogwarts as a second year.”

_ That’s very interesting, did you still get sorted with the first years? _

“Yeah,” I wrote back. “I’m in Slytherin, which hasn’t been great so far. But I guess being a pureblood and a Parselmouth was too perfect a fit.”

_ A Parselmouth? This meeting must be fate. I too am a Parselmouth and I was a part of the noble house of Slytherin during my time at Hogwarts.  _

“Really?” I wrote. “Parselmouths aren’t common in Europe and it is perceived as a sign of a dark wizard. I’m a Parselmouth because of my father's Indian blood. While it certainly isn't common, it’s not rare either. My brothers and I are all Parselmouths.”

_ Really? Than how is being a Parselmouth perceived in Asia. _

“It’s seen as a gift from the gods, a sign of greatness.” I wrote back, pride in my heritage warming me. 

The bell rang, jerking me back into reality. I wrote a quick goodbye and packed my bags. I was distracted the rest of the day, eager to talk, or to write to my new friend Tom Riddle. That night I wrote eagerly to him, glad to have someone to spill all my thoughts too. He helped me work up the courage to approach Hermione and her friends. I made the decision that tomorrow I would go up to the Gryffindor table and sit there for breakfast. After doing all my homework, I fell asleep, excited for the morning.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Chris’s POV

I blinked stupidly for a few seconds, unsure of what to do. Cassandra had just plopped down next to me at the Gryffindor breakfast table. While she looked composed to the average eye I could tell she was very anxious on the inside. She wasn’t hiding behind her hair though, which surprised me. I’m proud that she worked up the courage to come over. I knew how shy she was and the jitters she got with meeting new people.

“What are  _ you  _ doing here?” Ron asked rudely through a mouthful of oatmeal.

“Eat or speak Ron,” Hermione reprimanded him. “This is Cassandra, Chris’s cousin.”

“It’s nice to meet  you all,” Cassandra said coolly. “I have a feeling I should avoid the Slytherin table for a few days. Draco and his goons were not happy after my hex kicked in on Draco's face.”

“You did that?” Fred, or maybe George, butted in. “All those pimples that popped up overnight?”  He had gotten up from a few spaces down and was casually leaning over by Ron, stealing a piece of his toast.

“Ye-yeah,” Cassandra stuttered, not expecting the attention.

“I remember that one!’ I exclaimed “Didn’t you use it on Alexander last summer?”

“Yeah, he splashed me while I was sitting by the pool, reading. He could have ruined my book”  Cassandra replied. “I’ve used it on him several times, you would think he would learn his lesson.”

“You’ve used magic outside of school?” Harry piped up.

“Yeah, in America there’s really no such thing as underage magic.” I said, hoping to sound smart.

“Really, that’s totally unfair!” Ron spoke after swallowing a huge mouthful.

“That’s because it’s common knowledge that the Trace only detects magic,” Cassandra said after sipping some orange juice. She must be trying to look sophisticated. Normally, she gulps it down. “The government can’t tell who’s using the magic ergo most parents let their kids start at age ten and train them until they ship them off to school.”

“Yeah, but it varies from household to household.” I supplied. “For example Cassandra's parents didn’t get her a wand until age ten, but my parents got me one as soon as I started showing magic which was age six. They taught me a handful of spells before age ten.”

“Yeah, like making something levitate ten inches in the air.” Cassandra put in, after spooning a large portion of scrambled eggs onto her plate. “Basic, easy stuff mainly.”

“It’s pretty awesome.” I concluded.

After that the conversation pretty much ended. Fred made a crack at Ron about his wand and dodged the cereal thrown at his head. Harry and Ron seemed to be cool with Cassandra hanging out with us, apparently hexing Malfoy made anyone okay in their book,  and they were polite to her. I mentally sighed in relief when I saw how well Cassandra was getting on with everyone. She had trouble making friends in new places. She had known all her friends all her life, she’s never had to make new friends.

Cassandra and Hermione got on really well. I was happy, for both of them. I don’t really have a lot of girlfriends, I’m more comfortable around guys like Harry and Ron. It’s nice that Hermione has a girlfriend and that Cassandra has a new friend.

“It’s almost time for potions,” Cassandra said. “Do you want to walk with me Hermione, I think you’d be interested in this book.”

“Sure,” Hermione replied, already packing up her stuff.

They left together, earning themselves some nasty glares from the Slytherin table. I also noticed some disapproving looks from Snape. He seemed to be the only one though, Professor Dumbledore looked delighted to see a Slytherin and a Gryffindor getting along. Professor McGonagall looked stern, but she didn’t seem disapproving. It was hard to tell though, she always seemed to be frowning in disapproval.

“Should we go too?” Harry asked me.

“Nah,” I waved him down. “Cassandra always leaves early for class. We got plenty of time. Can you pass that  butter?”

“Sure thing, Chris.” Harry replied. He passed it to me and almost dropped it on me.

Eventually, as the Great Hall cleared out, we got up and headed to potions. Hermione and Cassandra had already paired up. Harry and Ron sat down with each other and I ended up with Neville.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Neville. While I wonder how he got into Gryffindor, I know he’s a nice guy. His issue is that he gets flustered too easily. If he makes a mistake, he tends to make more. Luckily, our spot was right next to Hermione and Cassandra’s.

We managed to get an acceptable grade on our potion, with a lot of help from Cassandra. Hermione tried to help, but Snape took off ten points from Gryffindor for “being a showoff”. However, when Cassandra helped Neville and I, Snape turned a blind eye. He really wants Slytherin to win the House cup I guess.

Eventually, Cassandra and I got settled into a schedule. We ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the Great Hall at the Gryffindor table with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Every time Gryffindor had classes with the Slytherins, Cassandra would work with us. We rotated partners so that Ron, Harry, and I could pass our classes. We all depended on the help we got from Hermione and Cassandra. Cassandra and I got to know everyone in the process.

Harry was brave, modest, and loyal. He always stuck up for his friends and didn’t back down from bullies. He did his best to avoid that annoying Lockhart and Colin. He never tried to show off either. It  _ was _ a little odd that he heard voices during his detention with Lockhart. Plus he was too nice to refuse when Nearly Headless Nick invited his to his deathday party. I got suckered into going, Hermione also pressured me rambling about a ‘unique’ experience.

Ron has good intentions but they seem to get him in trouble. When Malfoy called Hermione a mudblood, he tried to curse him. Unfortunately it backfired and he was puking slugs for hours. His loyalty is admirable though, he teases Hermione a lot but didn’t hesitate to defend her. Also I think he is more clever than people gave him credit for. The pixie fiasco in Defense Against the Dark Arts seemed to tip him off to how suspicious all of Lockhart's achievements were. I didn’t mention anything cause I knew Hermione would go off the rails to defend him. I guess Lockhart is attractive if you looked past his gigantic ego, but like he’s an adult. There are plenty of  boys in our year, I just didn’t understand it.

Hermione seemed like a annoying nerd at first but she got better as I got to know her. Plus it was great when she lets the guys and me copy off her notes/homework. Hermione was nice, but I got along better with Harry and Ron than with her. Hermione and Cassandra became inseparable though. They spent hours in the library together, discussing classes and the differences between the magical communities of America and Great Britain. One time they even had a “sleepover”. The fact that Cassandra volunteered to share her bed with someone said a lot about the strength of their friendship.

Eventually, it was time for the Halloween Feast and Nearly Headless Nick’s deathday party. Cassandra claimed that Snape had told her to sit with the Slytherins for feasts and avoided going. I couldn’t tell if she was lying. She’s brutally honest in general, but she lies when it suits her. It’s probably why she’s in Slytherin.

Anyway, the night of the feast eventually came. The Halloween feast looked awesome. Thousands of bats flitted about the ceiling of the Great Hall, making all the candles flicker. It gave off a creepy, but cool, vibe. Plus Hagrid had carved out giant pumpkins into lanterns. I even heard that Professor Dumbledore had booked some dancing skeletons. The whole atmosphere was the kind of thing Cassandra and I loved, Halloween was my second favorite holiday after Christmas and it was Cassandra’s favorite.

Harry wanted to back out of going but Hermione insisted he keep his promise. So Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I all headed towards the dungeons. It was freezing, and the amount of ghosts was overwhelming. Peeves and Moaning Mertle were but there too, making it even worse. Plus there was no food, making it a complete waste of time. Eventually we all agreed to leave, even Hermione was eager to get upstairs.

However, as we were walking upstairs, hoping to make it to the Great Hall before all the food disappeared, Harry suddenly stopped. He appeared to be hearing something we couldn't. Before we could calm him down he ran off. He eventually stopped in a deserted passage. Ron and I started to question Harry’s sanity, but Hermione interrupted us.

“Look!” she gasped.

The flaming torches on the wall cast flickering light through the corridor. Foot-high words smeared on the wall were illuminated, they looked to be dripping. The words appeared to be written in blood, but a clearer look revealed it to simply be red paint. However, the color still had a very creepy effect.

 

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

 

I spaced out, feeling eerily calm, as I read the words. As I got over my initial shock, I felt no fear. I assumed it to be a prank, it was Halloween night after all. Ron’s voice jolted me out of my trance and made me realize I was wrong.

Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging from by her tail from the torch bracket. She was as stiff as a board, her eyes were wide and staring. A gasp of horror rose from my lips. Even I could recognize this was serious Dark Magic. Something big was going here at this school. Despite the fear twisting in my belly, I felt another emotion. Excitement. Something was going on here and I planned to find out what it was. This was going to be my first real adventure, I just know it.

 


End file.
